This proposal describes a 5-year training program that will enable Dr. Sherry Pagoto to develop expertise in the research of behavioral mechanisms of positive energy balance in obesity. In the past four years, Dr. Pagoto has completed her training in clinical psychology, with a specialization in cardiovascular risk reduction via behavior change (e.g., weight management, stress reduction, smoking cessation). Dr. Pagoto will work closely with her sponsor Dr. Bonnie Spring, as well as her co-mentors, Drs. Audrey Ruderman and Donald Hedeker at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Marian Fitzgibbon at Northwestern University in Chicago, and Dr. Karina Davidson at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Dr. Pagoto's short term goals are to enhance the theoretical, methodological, and statistical skills needed to study the behavioral mechanisms of unhealthy eating patterns that lead to weight gain and obesity. Her long-term goals are to develop an independent laboratory and a network of collaborators devoted to the understanding of risk factors and treatments for obesity and other outcomes that contribute to cardiovascular risk. Two studies are proposed. Study 1 aims to compare the calorie intake of obese and nonobese males and females during anxious, angry, and neutral mood states. The hypothesis is that both anxiety and anger compared to neutral mood, trigger disproportionately increased eating among both obese males and females compared to normal controls. Anger may be more potent than anxiety in triggering disproportionately increased eating in obese individuals. Study 2 addresses a potential behavioral mechanism of negative affect-induced eating. The aim is to examine the effect of food intake on anxious and angry mood states in obese and nonobese males and females, testing the hypothesis that the negative affect dispelling consequences of eating are greater for obese individuals than for normal weight controls. This is the first study to systematically investigate the effects of eating on different mood states using comparable methodology. Results should increase the understanding of obesity and be used to enhance weight loss interventions. The University of Illinois at Chicago provides an ideal setting for training behavioral scientists and the mentoring team will provide a sound training experience for the PI from which an academic career can be launched.